Sugarcane bagasse: A novel substrate for mass multiplication of Funneliformis mosseae with onion as host

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to test the influence of sugarcane bagasse (fibrous waste left over after sugarcane juice) as a substrate for the inoculum production of Funneliformis mosseae in terms of AM root colonization, spore number and AM colonization pattern using onion as host plant. Their effect on growth performance of onion was also recorded in terms of increase in plant height, above ground fresh and dry weight, root length, root fresh and dry weight. The experiment was a 3×4 factorial design employing three forms of bagasse (fresh, dry and compost) and their four different concentrations (without substrate, 25 g/pot, 50 g/pot and 100 g/pot). The results showed that the compost bagasse promoted higher AM root colonization and sporulation, followed by dry and fresh bagasse. Maximum AM spores, vesicles, arbuscules and 100 per cent colonized roots were detected in onion plants supplemented with 25 g compost bagasse. This treatment also influenced significant increase in plant growth. Although, increasing substrate concentration proved stimulatory to AM fungus as well as onion plant growth but highest concentration (100 g) proved inhibitory. Hence, compost bagasse can be exploited for the multiplication of F. mosseae by farmers as it is a cost effective method of production.